Okay, so I posted on the what I love thread, so I might as well say something here--GLADWARE AS A CACHE CONTAINER WITH THE TEMPERATURE EXTREMES IN MINNESOTA!!!!!????!!!!!!!!!!!!_________________There comes a time in every young boy's life when he gets an irresistible urge to seek buried treasure.--Mark Twain

I agree totally. I have found many many caches of Gladware and Ziplocware and not one of them was in good condition. They are always wet inside and usually cracked with covers that no longer stay on properly. Non-cachers think that I am just looking for junk in the woods and it's hard to deny when you think about Gladware caches.

I have 35 travel bugs. Most are like burned-out hippies: aimless, goalless, bumming rides everywhere, etc. Some have found a purpose, and have specific goals. Two are racing to Indy. One went to Great Britain. A series of companion bugs, the Legends, have a common, simple goal: stay in Ramsey County. That is clearly stated on the bug's info page. One of these bugs, me2, ended up in Wisconsin. The people involved made sure that me2 was returned prior to the Winter Carnival. I REALLY appreciated that.

So what do I hate? Bugs that are purposely and repeatedly taken away from the goals. Bugs that someone decides to create a new travel plan for.

There is a reason I want these bugs in Ramsey County. I realize that once I put them out out there the only controls I have are the power to delete logs, and the power to alter the bug page. I had hoped that the 'cachers who decided to grab these bugs would respect their goals.

I sent the following e-mail:

...... stays in Ramsey County.

I received this response:

thank you for such a kind reply. your kindness and way with words is overwhelming. it is great to have such an excellent ambassador for geocaching.

I am NOT a friggin' ambassador. I'm a cranky old bastard who's gettin' tired of this 'game' and all the B.S. that has started in the past 6 months.

Now I get an e-mail, and Joe is somewhere on the way to Duluth. Somebody stole the 101st Airborne cache. Bring it on ... I can take it.

i found my first travel bug last night. i have no interest in being a bug chaser. it that excites you, then more power to you. i simply wanted to pick up a bug and take it with me to california, as i thought it would be fun to see if it could make its way back to minnesota.

what i have learned about bugs: some people seek them more than the trinkets in a cache. some people want to "find" as many as they can, even if finding one means simply returning to a previously visited cache for the opportunity to take/swap one. some people want to control every movement of a bug, even though that's a bit tough.

what i've learned since acquiring my first bug: if you want a bug, research why it exists and what you are required to do. if you encounter a bug by chance -- which ain't likely to happen, but possible -- do not take the bug unless you are only able to comply expressly with its mission. if the mission is not clear, and you haven't researched the bug page, then don't take it, or you'll be a felon.

as i said, i picked one up last night. my crime: not doing my homework. it was after i took it home that i read it is intended for ramsey county only. why, i don't know, but i don't care, that's the rule. so i post my find and create what i think is an entertaining story about the bug, noting that i'm going to california, and noting that i want to take a bug with me.

do i say that i will immediately place it in a ramsey county cache? no. do i say that i won't take it to california under any circumstance? no. do i imply that i'm looking for another bug that i could take to california, one that the bug lord won't object to? yes.

do i receive an e-mail from the bug creator, asking me "please leave the bug here in minnesota," or stating "i'd appreciate it if you wouldn't take it to california?" no.

the only statement i receive in an e-mail is "Doink stays in Ramsey County."

would it kill a person to be polite in corresponding with another geocacher, who may not have made it clear that he's looking for a new bug to take to california? you tell me, but evidently the answer is yes.

that's when i respond with the following. the sarcasm mode was obviously on: "thank you for such a kind reply. your kindness and way with words is overwhelming. it is great to have such an excellent ambassador for geocaching."

so then the king tells us: "I am NOT a friggin' ambassador. I'm a cranky old bastard who's gettin' tired of this 'game' and all the B.S. that has started in the past 6 months."

i'm not going to suggest that the king needs a long restful vacation, or a lesson in manners.

the irony is that when i posted my story about california, a third party contacted me within a couple of hours, expressing interest in swapping bugs somehow so i could leave the precious clown in minnesota. this person also invited me to join an upcoming mngca meeting. (something my current work schedule doesn't allow me to do, so long as the meetings are on monday nights.) i've had a couple of very pleasant exchanges with somebody who i only knew by a screen name at the start of the day.

last time i checked my e-mail, the third party offered a solution about swapping bugs. (had i planned this bug-to-california thing sooner, i could have either ordered a tag or bought one from a fourth party who has excess tags at the moment, i'm told.)

you are all welcome to decide who is right or wrong here, if you wish. that's not important to me. what i do know is that i was treated with a lack of respect. i find it ironic that it's coming from a person who has worked harder than anyone in the twin cities to provide geocaching opportunities. i find it unfortunate that this person turns out to be a "cranky old bastard" who is "tired of this 'game.'"

while i don't appreciate being sent disrespectful e-mail, i certainly didn't feel there was a need to bring this to a public forum. i'm sorry you feel otherwise. (yes, you kept my identity a secret, but i have no qualms about standing behind my words, so i will gladly step forward.)

i have asked that guidelines be followed with the two caches i have placed. i certainly don't want to be guilty of a double standard, hence i suggested i'd find a bug to swap the clown with before my april 5 departure.

while i am guilty of being vague, i think it's clear that there was never any harm intended. and to the best of my knowledge, i have done nothing wrong at this point. all i have done is claim a travel bug from a cache and suggest i want to take one to california. why i should be treated with disrespect, i'm not sure. i am certainly sorry to cause undue emotional distress by picking up a travel bug with the hope of taking it to california.

i am also sorry to have to say that i have no interest in participating in the mngca or its forum at this point. in my e-mail to the third party i noted that it would be nice if the mngca could provide bug tags at the meetings, perhaps at a small profit to the organization. now i no longer care.

best wishes to all and thanks for the information that has been shared. any future caching i do will be independent of this organization. best of luck to all.

I have to admit that I surely get a kick out of some of you. Is all that you have in life is geocaching? My god, this is a game where you seek out a piece of plastic that usually has some junk in it that you would normally toss out.

This is to get you out of the house and enjoy the outdoors, spend time with your family, and just have fun. Some of you folks need to lighten up and grow up!